The Blues Thread

T-Bone Walker - "T-Bone Blues" (1959)

T-Bone's debut album is a legendary release for the Texas electric blues scene but I have to admit that I find it to be a little flat. Much of this material is so faithful to the traditional blues model & I tend to find records that stick to the tried & tested blues structure to be a touch boring. I need a bit more edge than this to be honest, preferring a more consistently "deep" or rock-infused blues sound.

For fans of Freddie King, Albert King & Lightnin' Hopkins.

3/5

John Lee Hooker - "The Healer" (1989)

A heavily underrated electric blues album that's centered around collaborations with a number of other high-profile artists such as Carlos Santana, Bonnie Rait, Los Lobos & George Thoroughgood. Perhaps it makes for a more commercially accessible listen than most diehard blues fans would like but I really enjoy it nonetheless, particularly the really stripped back stuff like wonderful album highlight "My Dream".

For fans of Lightnin' Hopkins, Howlin' Wolf & Muddy Waters.

4/5